From Out Of The Past
by Cu-Curee
Summary: What if Dinobot followed them back to Cybertron? Set during the Beast Machines era with some twists. This was only supposed to be a single shot story for a contest, but I may pick it up again some day when the muse hits me, so keep watching.


**A/N Okay people I took a brake from What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You fic to write this for a contest. WARNING: this has sex, dark imagery, violence, and some disturbing images. Please! IF THIS OFFENDS YOU STOP READING! This is my darkest fic yet so please R/R. Oh and it's kinda long. Thus I give to thee...**

**From Out Of The Past  
**

Rattrap quietly walked through the empty cites of Cybertron. It had been over a week since he'd tried to get weapons from Megatron.

'Man, what am I doin'? I should just give it up already. My beast mode ain't worth slag and now my robot mode ain't much bettah. Well, if I can't fight, maybe I can at least get somethin' on ol' Mega-jerk. Dat'll show 'em dat I ain't completely worthless! Hurmf, Chopperface wouldn't... no, you stop dat thought right dere! He's gone and he ain't comin' back.'

For months now he, Blackarachnia, Cheetor and Optimus Primal, plus a new kid named Nightscream, had been waging a gorilla war against Megatron. They still had no idea how Megs had managed to get a hold of Cybertron, and most of them still didn't have any memory of what had happened when they crashed. 'Dat's it!' he thought to himself, as he maneuvered his technorganic body around the many drones that patrolled this world now. 'Maybe I can get somethin' on _how_ Megs got in control. If we knew dat maybe we can undo it...'

His rat beast mode did still give him some advantages. Like any rat, if he could get his head through something he could wiggle his body through as well. He started to sniff around once he got near where Megatron was holed up, looking for an access point. His nose caught the foul odor of fumes coming from one vent and he smiled to himself. 'Once a thief always a thief,' he thought as he wiggled through a small gap in the vent. 'Now if I was Mega-dunce, where would I keep ego-inflating records of takin' over Cybertron?'

As Rattrap tried to think about where he should start looking, he heard voices.

"My Lord Megatron, I have a new formula to rid your otherwise perfect form of any and all organic matter," said Megatron's A.I. drone.

'Ugh, he fawns over Megs worse den Inferno used ta,' Rattrap thought to himself. He was about to move on when he heard something that made him freeze in his tracks.

"However, I will need the test subject to see what the danger level is to you. It's highly unstable. But I'm confident that with repeated tests I could easily remove the hazards to you."

"Very well. Proceed at once," Megatron said with a laugh.

'Test subject!! Whoever dat is, I gotta get 'em outta heres!' Rattrap thought. He figured he could follow the drone, but that idea went down the tubes - literally - as the drone entered a drone-sized pipe and disappeared.

Rattrap started to wander the citadel looking for wherever this poor bot was being kept. 'Come on whoever ya are, give me somethin' ta work wit'. Make some kinda sound,' he thought in frustration after about an hour of wandering around. Eventually he came to an area that seemed to be mostly unused. The air was stale and musty smelling, and there was dust everywhere... everywhere except for a trail of disturbed dust. He followed the trail for some time, noting that this seemed to be some sort of living area. There were doors, some of which were still half ajar, that seemed to lead to rooms, some larger then others and all of them in various states of disrepair and and disuse. However the trail kept going right past them and he kept walking. 'If I get dis bot outta heres, maybe dat'll show 'em dat I ain't useless.'

He finally came to where the trail stopped right at a door. Oddly enough, there was another trail of disturbed dust going from the door down another hallway. 'Well, I'd bettah check dis place out first.' Rattrap scoured the area for a way in. He quickly noticed that there was an old-fashioned locking panel near the door. 'Nah, can't be dat easy can it?' he thought to himself. He looked the panel over, then smiled a rat's smile. He easily pried the panel off to get to the guts of the device. He peered at the wires for a time, then he pulled two of them out and switched them. The door opened with a hiss.

He shoved the panel back into place and walked in. As he went to shut the door, a terribly awful stench hit his nose. Now normally a bad odor wouldn't affect him, but this smelled nasty. Wrinkling his nose, he performed the same routine on the inside panel, closing the door.

A figure stirred in the darkness. "Feeding time already? Megatron is feeling generous today..." The static-filled voice sounded like a pair of burnt-out speakers. Rattrap started to pad his way over. "Footsteps? I haven't heard that in...." The smell intensified as Rattrap got nearer, and suddenly it hit him what the stench was. Excrement, and processed energon. Whoever this was, he - or she - had been here a while. The figure moved again. "What are you?"

"Take it easy, buddy. I ain't gonna hurt ya," Rattrap replied in what he hoped was a calming tone.

"That voice..." the figure said slowly. "I know that voice...." A single red optic opened, casting an eerie red light on part of the bot. Rattrap still couldn't make out what the mech was. "I _know_ that...." The figure moved sharply. "Rattrap!"

"Ya know me, pal?" Rattrap moved closer.

"Come no closer, Vermin!" The voice sounded angry.

Rattrap's optics narrowed to try to make out what was in front of him. "Pal... easy. I'm just gonna..."

A pair of jaws flashed in front of him as he tried to take another step closer. "You omnivorous piece of molten slag, stay back!" the voice said loudly, causing even more static.

Rattrap's eyes went wide. There was only one bot who ever called him that… "Dinobot! How, why..."

As Rattrap went to take another step, Dinobot snapped his jaws at him again. "Come no closer, I said!"

"Chopperface, is dat really you?" Rattrap said, standing on his hind legs.

There was a rustling of metal chains, and a scraping of metal pipes. "Yes..."

"Come on, Chopperface, I'll get ya outta heres."

"Vermin, I cannot leave. These bonds are strong... and in my current state I cannot break them. I can hardly move, much less run or even walk..." Dinobot's frame shuddered again.

"I can't leave ya, Scale belly!" Rattrap felt tears in his optics. He wanted so badly to run to his lover and hold him.

Suddenly Rattrap heard Dinobot give a sigh of resignation. There was a hissing, then the sound of fluid hitting fluid on the floor. The smell of half-processed energon hit Rattrap's nose. "Leave me to my humiliation. Quickly, before the drones come to feed me. Forget you ever found me... you can't help me..."

"I'll come back wit' de ot'ers, Chopperface. We'll get ya outta here. I promise," Rattrap said as he pulled the panel off and uncrossed the wires, opening the door. "I ain't gonna abandon ya, not again..." He sealed the door behind him and began to make his way out. The whole way back, he seethed at Megatron...and himself for ever even thinking about joining Megatron's side of this war.

(Several hours later…)

"Whaddya mean, 'no'?!" Rattrap exclaimed.

"Rattrap, we can't go on a wild goose chase!" Cheetor told him. "He's..."

"I know! But..."

"What's going on here?" Optimus's voice came out of the gloom.

"Rattrap thinks that Dinobot is being held by Megatron," Cheetor told him.

"You actually _saw_ Dinobot?" Optimus asked.

"Well, no. The room was too dark."

"Then you heard his voice?"

Rattrap hesitated. "N...no. His voice sounded like a couple a' broken speakers."

"Okay, let's start at the beginning. What exactly happened?" Primal asked.

"Well, I was toolin' around Megs's place lookin' fer sometin' ta help us out, an' I heard his A.I. say somethin' bout a test subject, an' I went lookin fer whoever dat was and I found Chopperface."

"Optimus," Blackarachnia said, "If there _is_ someone being held by Megatron, shouldn't we check it out? Regardless of who Rattrap thinks it is?"

Optimus thought for a few moments then said, "Yes. If there is someone else here, we owe it to them to get them out of Megatron's clutches. Maximals, lets move out!"

As they walked, Rattrap whispered to Blackarachnia, "T'anks."

"Do you really believe that Dinobot is in there?"

"Yeah."

"I know how you feel. I _know_ Silverbolt is out there somewhere, but none of the others believe me either."

"Whatevah I can do ta help ya out after dis..."

Blackarachnia nodded.

Meanwhile, Nightscream was talking to Cheetor. "So what's the deal with Rattrap? He seemed obsessed with this Dinobot."

Cheetor sighed. He didn't want to talk about it, but the boy needed an explanation. "They were... close during the Beast Wars."

"Close? How close? What happened?" Nightscream asked again.

Cheetor shook his head. "They were bonded. Dinobot was a Predacon that was on Megatron's side at first, but left when we crashed. None of us know exactly _how_ it happened, those two were at each other's fuel lines at first, but they ended up bonding. Surprised me right out of my spots, to tell you the truth."

"So what happened to Dinobot?"

"He... sacrificed himself to save the proto-humans."

"Then why does Rattrap think he's alive?"

"Megatron cloned Dinobot using alien technology and half of Protoform X's spark." Nightscream winced. If even one-quarter of the stories he'd heard about Protoform X were true, that was one evil bot. "You see, before he died, Dinobot downloaded his data-tracks into the computer. Rattrap found them and when Megatron cloned Dinobot, Rattrap tried to download those tracks into the clone. It sort of worked. The programs that Megs left in the clone and the half spark overrode the data-tracks. But at the very end, when Rampage - as we called Protoform X - was killed by Depth Charge, Dinobot came back... and sacrificed himself again. He's dead and gone again. It took its toll on Rattrap."

"Ouch."

Shortly after, they were on the surface of the planet. "Rattrap, how did you get in?" Optimus asked.

"Dere's a vent wit' a hole in it dat we can get in," Rattrap told him.

"Okay. Rattrap, you lead. We're going to need a diversion once you find this bot. Nightscream, you and Blackarachnia go with him. Cheetor, you and I are going to distract the drones when we get the word. Understood, everyone? Good. Let's go!"

Rattrap led Nightscream and Blackarachnia to the vent he'd found earlier. "Alright, everybody inta da pool!" Rattrap said as he entered the hole.

As they walked, they heard Megatron's A.I. "My lord Megatron, the tests are coming along nicely. The preliminaries show that this will work. I just need some more time with the test subject."

"Very well," Megatron said harshly.

"Well at least we know you weren't imagining that part," Nightscream said to Rattrap as they passed them.

They kept walking until Rattrap pointed to an open vent. "Dis way." The others followed him along the trail of disturbed dust. Eventually they came to the door where Rattrap first found Dinobot. "We should check here first. Da bot was in here."

"How do we get in?" Nightscream asked. "There's no access panel."

"De ol' fashioned way, kiddo." Rattrap performed the same operation he had last time, and the door opened and they went in.

"Ugh. It reeks in here," Nightscream commented.

"Kid, give da room a sonar look-around, would ya?" Rattrap asked.

"On it." He let out a sub-sonic burst and "saw" the room, but there was no one besides themselves in it. "The place is empty. And _what_ is that stink?"

"Excrement, kiddo," rattrap said sadly. "Di… de bot dat was in heres had been here a while, chained up over dere. Come on, we gots ta keep lookin'." They left the room and Rattrap closed the door.

"Where next?" Blackarachnia asked.

"We follow de ot'er trail."

So the followed it through the citadel. Finally the trail came to an end. "Rattrap, can you get this door open?" Blackarachnia said.

"Sure."

"Okay. You open it, then Nightscream and I will get in there and have a look around. This place doesn't look as deserted as that other room, so keep an eye out."

"Gotcha." Rattrap picked the lock on the door and it slowly opened.

Nightscream and Blackarachnia entered. "Oh my Primus," Blackarachnia said, while Nightscream just stood there stunned.

"What?" Rattrap said from the doorway.

"Uh... You should head down the corridor..." Nightscream started, blocking the Rattrap's view of the bot.

"Nothin' doin'!" Rattrap exclaimed. "You could hear dem comin' a mile away. What did ya find?" Nightscream just stood there. "Move or I'll move ya!" Rattrap said, shoving the bat out of his way. What he saw made him stop in his tracks.

It was Dinobot all right. The Trasmetal II Dinobot that had given them a fighting chance at the end of the Beast Wars. Or what was left of him. His tail was stripped down to the wires and cables. His sickle-like hands were gone. One seemed to be replaced with a rudimentary hand and the other was gone completely. The once deadly optical blaster monocle was cleanly removed, leaving a hole in his head. The sharp teeth were gone completely and there were patches of scars and metal over his body - the marks of the various tests run on him to rid Megaton of his organic side.

Rattrap ran to his bonded's side. "Chopperface! See, I _told_ ya it was him!" he said to the other two. "I'll get ya outta heres, Scale Belly! I ain't loosin' ya again. Do ya know how ta get dese tings off?"

"You can't. Only Megatron's A.I. drone can." Dinobot's voice was a mess of static.

"Oh yeah? Rackie, give da Boss Monkey and Spots a call. Let 'em know dat dere's gonna be a big commotion in heres real soon." Blackarachnia nodded and proceeded to do so while Rattrap said to Dinobot, "You just hang in deres a bit longer, Fossil Face. De ot'ers are gonna make some noise outside, den I can get ya outta dere."

Dinobot nodded. "Vermin..."

"Don't waste yer energy. Dere'll be plenty a' time ta talk when we get ya ta safety, get me?"

"They're starting the distraction now," Blackarachnia told him. "Do your thing and let's get out of here."

Rattrap nodded. He thought of only Dinobot, of saving his love and said, "I am Transformed!" Once he had steadied himself on his wheels, he shoved his tail-link cable into the access panel. "Come on, come on, give it up fer da rat," he muttered to himself. He heard the click of Dinobot's bonds and let out a cheer of happiness. "WOOT! Alright Legs, make us a web to carry him out on."

"I will _not_ be carried!" Dinobot snarled, getting off of the bed and falling onto his mismatched arms.

"Okay, look, we don't have much time anyway. I can hear drones coming. Rattrap, help Dinobot walk out of here. You're no help in a fight anyway," Nightscream told him.

"Yeah, yeah," Rattrap said grumpily, but he rolled over to Dinobot and helped him to his feet. "Here."

Dinobot leaned on Rattrap gratefully. "I have no desire to be here any longer then absolutely necessary."

The four of them left the room and started to walk down the hall. Rattrap looked up at Dinobot with a smile. Then he saw something above the raptor that made him smile even wider. "Hold on a sec guys, I got an idea." He gently lowered Dinobot to the floor and rolled over to the wall where an access panel was. Plugging into it, he caused a pressure door to close behind them. "Dere, dat'll give us some time at least."

"Can you find us a quick way out of here?" Blackarachnia asked.

"I can try," Rattrap told her as he looked for one. "Ha! Got it." The visor came down over his face, with a nice little arrow showing him the way to go. He wheeled over to Dinobot and helped him to his feet. "Come on, Chopperface, I'll get ya outta here. I told ya I wasn't gonna leave ya dere."

"Learning a sense of honor, are you?" Dinobot asked with a smirk on his scarred face.

"Hey, come on, Dino-butt, don't insult me after I saved yer hide," Rattrap shot back.

"Hurmf, I should have guessed. You still wouldn't know honor if it came up and bit your tail, Cheese Eater."

"And you wouldn't know self-preservation if it smacked you in the face, Bronto-brain."

"It's called courage, Vermin. Something you lack in spades."

"Riiiiight," Rattrap said as they continued on.

"I thought they were, you know, bonded. That's what Cheetor said, anyway," Nightscream said to Blackarachnia.

"They are. I didn't get to know them very well. I joined up with the Maximals _after_ Dinobot's death. But from what I was told, that's normal."

Nightscream shook his head. "Doesn't make sense."

"Love rarely does, kid," she answered.

They walked for a time when Nightscream whispered, "Hold up, guys. We got drones."

"Yo Legs, take Fossil Face here fer a sec," Rattrap whispered. Blackarachnia walked over to Dinobot and held him up while Rattrap rolled over to another access panel. He plugged into it and began to work. Finally he said, "Okay, we gotta move fast. I just got de internal weapons system ta fire on all a' Mega-ego's drones. I don't know how long it'll be before he gets it back ta normal."

As they began moving as quickly as they could, he felt Dinobot's hand on his shoulder.

"I...I cannot fight, Rodent," he said softly.

"Hey, we'll have ya reformatted in no time," Rattrap reassured him. Soon they heard the sound of weapons fire and drones falling. Dinobot chuckled as they walked right past them.

"How much further?" Nightscream asked. "I don't think that's gonna keep them occupied very long."

"Not much furt'er now. Dere should be an old emergency exit 'round here somewheres. And here we are!" Rattrap said as they came up on an old door. "Webs, if ya would be so kind?" Blackarachnia helped Dinobot stand as Rattrap worked his magic on the door. It opened with a screech of rusted metal, and he returned to Dinobot's side. "Alright, yous twos go help da Monkey and Spots."

"We'll clear the way for you!" Nightscream said as both he and Blackarachnia transformed.

"Why aren't you fighting, Rodent?" Dinobot asked, his voice growing fainter.

"I can't. I got no weapons..." Rattrap told his lover, hanging his head. "An' you stop talkin', 'kay? Ya gotta conserve what little energy ya got left dere."

Suddenly Cheetor came running over, his swords out. He skidded to a halt when he saw what was left of Dinobot. "Okay," he said bewildered. "I'm a big enough bot to admit when I'm wrong. Okay." He took Dinobot's other arm and flung it over his shoulders. "Here's the plan. Big Bot is going to clear us a path and we're going to _move_, move as fast as you can Rattrap. Understood?"

Rattrap looked up at Dinobot. "Yeah. Just say when, Speedy."

Cheetor was already watching the skies, where Nightscream had joined Optimus and was draining one of the jet drones. Optimus looked down for a moment to see that everyone was ready, then blasted a hole in the ground. "_MOVE_!" Cheetor cried.

Rattrap's wheels spun faster then he had ever managed to make them go. He was nowhere near as fast as Cheetor, but Cheetor was slowing up a bit due to Dinobot's weight and blocking laser blasts with one sword.

Cheetor started to feel Dinobot slip. "Don't you _dare_ let go! Just a bit farther!" he snarled. He grinned to himself as he felt Dinobot's arm tighten around his neck again. "We're almost there," he said as the hole loomed closer. He could hear Rattrap panting hard. He wasn't built for speed. A few moments later they dropped into the hole and kept going until Cheetor was sure they weren't being followed. He slowed to a stop and transformed. "Alright, back to beast mode. Dinobot, can you transform?"

"Yes," Dinobot said softly.

Cheetor felt it strange to see Dinobot speak but not hear that gruff growl that normally permeated his voice. "Then do it. They can track us in robot mode."

Dinobot nodded and transformed. It was agony to do so, but he forced himself into his beast mode. He was seriously unsteady, his tail now useless for balance, one foot gone and the other unsuited for walking well. "That is never pleasant."

They were soon joined by the others. "Hey guys, look what I found," Rattrap said smugly.

Optimus came up next to Dinobot. "Here, lean on me." Dinobot gratefully put an arm around Optimus and hobbled next to him with Rattrap on his other side. "Well, Rattrap, I think we all owe you an apology."

"Heh. It's okay Big Banana. But eh, I get ta say 'I told ya so' fer da next few days," Rattrap said with a laugh. He was giddy to have his mate back. "Hey, Boss Monkey, how come ya don't just reformat him like ya did Bats?"

"I don't have the strength, Rattrap. So we're taking him to the Oracle."

Several hours later they came to the Oracle's chamber. "What is this place?" Dinobot asked, weakly, his strength and fuel reserves almost gone.

"Time for answers later, old friend," Optimus said, half-carrying Dinobot.

Rattrap was suddenly at their side. "Wait a sec. I got somethin' I t'ink Dino-butt might want..." He hauled out Dinobot's old sword, still in its rotating shield-sheath, and handed it to him. "I've been holdin' onta dis since ya died. Good luck, Chopperface. Come back ta me..." The raptor nodded as he and Optimus disappeared into the Oracle.

Optimus reappeared shortly after. "Now we wait," he said.

Dinobot was floating in nothing when he heard a soft female voice speak to him. "You have a choice."

"What choice?" Dinobot asked.

"You should be dead. I give you a choice. You could return to the afterlife and take the rest you have earned, or you may stay and endure hardships untold."

Dinobot didn't even hesitate. "No. I am no stranger to hardship. My mate awaits me on this side of the Matrix. I _will_ return to him."

"Very well. Prepare to be reformatted."

Rattrap was pacing back and forth. "How long is dis gonna take?"

"Patience, Rattrap. Patience," Optimus said calmly. "Dinobot was pretty weak. The Oracle knows what it is doing."

"Yeah, well... I...We...I mean...Couldn't it hurry up?" Rattrap sputtered.

"Hey Rattrap, he'll be fine," Nightscream said, patting Rattrap on the head.

"Yeah, we've seen him pull out of some pretty hard shit over the years," Cheetor tried to reassure him.

"I know, I know! But…hey, here he comes!" he exclaimed as Dinobot emerged. Once the light had died down behind him, Rattrap let out a loud wolf-whistle. "H...holy slag...Damn...ya look…Whoa!"

Dinobot's body looked like it did during the Beast Wars, but the color scheme was way different. His belly and down his arms and legs were an electric blue. The rest was black with neon green strips ending in brilliant yellow. Black stripes covered his legs, while blue stripes ringed his black tail. His optics were a bright piercing red with black pupils. The strange thing was that he had feathers. The feathers were a lighter blue and tipped in neon green. A curved protrusion in the same electric blue came down off of his wrists, covered in those same feathers. They also emerged from his head like a crest, a few ran down his back and there were even several rimming his tail. All in all… Rattrap found himself needing to lie down, as the sight was rather attractive to him.

"I think I have finally managed to shut you up, Vermin," Dinobot said, his strides powerful and his voice once again its gruff growl.

"C...Chopperface...Ya look..." Rattrap continued to stammer.

Dinobot chuckled. "Come here."

"Uhhh, I don't t'ink dat's such a good idea, Chopperface...I don't t'ink I need ta have my rat-hood wavin' in da air, if ya know what I mean," Rattrap said with a lecherous grin.

Dinobot laughed loudly. "I'm not back in one piece five cycles and already you cannot wait to have me."

"Well Chopperface, I ain't never seen ya look so damned hot before," Rattrap admitted.

Dinobot walked over to his rat and scooped him up, covering Rattrap's erection with his arm feathers, and squeezed the breath out of his lover. "Rodent," he whispered softly, "tonight when the others are asleep we shall do something about that. I promise you. You have also been sorely missed."

"Hey, um, shouldn't we..." Nightscream started.

"Give them some time? Yes," Blackarachnia finished, as the others left the lovers to their embrace.

After a time, lone enough for Rattrap's erection to die down, they came over to the others. "The Vermin tells me that the old activation codes do not work any more."

"Yes," Optimus answered as they started to walk away. "Now we must transform the way our ancestors did. Come, we'll lead you back to our base. Then your training will begin."

Dinobot chuckled slightly. "Strange, you teaching me something."

"Indeed. But I think you'll have an easy time of it."

"What makes you say that?"

"Unless you've seriously changed, meditation is one of your pastimes. It'll help immensely."

"I think something to eat would help before we start."

"Not a problem. Rattrap managed to get an old replicator online. We've set up in a fossil cave and the replicator is nearby."

"Fossil cave?"

"I'll explain when we get there, while you eat. Besides, I've got a few questions for you myself."

"Dat makes two of us, Pop Op," Rattrap chimed in.

Eventually they came to the replicator and got whatever food they wanted, then made their way to their base. As they sat down to eat, Optimus said, "This fossil chamber is proof that Cybertron once held life, or at least the planet that Cybertron was built on did. The Oracle wants us to return Cybertron to a new state of technorganic perfection melding the technological and the organic."

"Odd," Dinobot said between bites of his raw steaks.

"These new bodies are a merging of the two. We call it Technorganic," Optimus told him.

"Okay, enough a' de current events. How da SLAG did ya get here?!" Rattrap asked frantically.

"I managed to survive the crash of the Nemesis. It took my body some time to heal itself. By the time I came to, it had been three Earth months since I had crashed. I got lucky, to tell the truth. The Transwarp cell was still intact, and the Nemesis still had _its_ escape ship. It seemed that Tarantulas had covered his bet with the Nemesis. He made it easy to plug the Transwarp cell into it - in case of an emergency, I'd wager. I'm not much of a pilot, but I managed to get the ship headed home. After that things get a bit fuzzy... I remember crashing and fighting off the drones... I was hit by something and it drained my body's power to reject it..."

"Yeah, the plague that Megatron unleashed," Cheetor said. "But_ I _didn't fight it off."

"_Your_ Transmetal II body was made with the residual energies of the driver. Mine was made with its full power, added to whatever was left over from Rampage. It allowed me to not be affected by it, but I spent many a night wishing it had. Because of this, Megatron had me captured and used as a test subject...."

"How long were you there?" Nightscream asked him softly.

"I don't know. My internal chronometer was deactivated, and night and day are unknown things in that dark place," Dinobot said darkly, as he finished his meal.

Rattrap came up and nuzzled Dinobot, hoping to calm him down. "Bats, not now..." Rattrap said as Nightscream opened his mouth to ask another question. "Take it easy, Chopperface. Da kid's been t'rough some hard shit too. He's been livin here since Megs's takeover."

Dinobot pulled his rat close to him and licked the top of his head. Once he would never have shown such affection in front of the others, but he had learned how short time can truly be, and that it should not be wasted on keeping up one's image.

"Ugh, gag me with the mush..." Nightscream said, making a face.

"Ya don't like it, Bats? Don't watch," Rattrap said haughtily, and for effect, and to get a stronger reaction out of the bat, he gave Dinobot a long nuzzle and lick.

"Vermin," Dinobot said with a sigh. "Don't antagonize the natives."

"Aww, come on Chopperface..."

"I said no."

"Nuts and bolts, yer no fun..."

"Would you two -snort- save...-snicker- it..." Cheetor was struggling to not burst out laughing. It was good to see Rattrap happy again, and hearing those two fight while snuggling was to die for. It also felt good to even hear, let alone see, that kind of friendly fighting that had been a constant in his world ever since the beginning of the Beast Wars.

"Hey Scale belly, if I didn't know bettah, I'd swear Spots was laughin' at us," Rattrap said with mirth in his voice.

"I doubt it. If any of his memory circuits are still functional, then he'd remember that laughing at me is never a good idea," Dinobot replied with a chuckle.

Cheetor stopped laughing to stare at Dinobot. "When did you gain a sense of humor?"

Rattrap just shook his head. "Spots, he's always had one. Ya just never stayed on his good side long enough ta see it is all."

"Alright, you three," Optimus called out, his voice shaking with merriment. "Enough's enough. It's time for me to start your training, Dinobot."

"Very well."

Optimus addressed the rest of the small band. "The rest of you try to keep the noise level down to a dull roar."

Nightscream just rolled his eyes at the, probably not intentional, pun. "Sure thing, Optimus."

Optimus then led Dinobot over to another area that was partially blocked. "Alright, before we start the training, you will need a bit of history…"

"No need. Once we were merely robots, but eventually, while the two factions warred upon each other, one side or the other - depending on what faction you ask - began to research the art of disguise and thus _learned_ to transform. Time passed and eventually we programed activation codes to do the transforming for us. I told you long ago, Optimus, I have long studied military history."

"Well, that saves quite some time. However, now we are once again in need of that long forgotten knowledge of self-transformation. The Oracle gave me the knowledge to train and teach the others how to transform, knowledge which I have imparted on them and shall now do to you. Get comfortable. It can take some time." Dinobot nodded and lowered himself into the squatting-sitting position of Raptors. "Good. Now close your eyes. Find your center, your still point. Rise above your emotions. Only when you have tamed yourself can you truly say, 'I am Transformed.'"

Dinobot followed the instructions. Having meditation as one of pastimes did in fact help. He had learned long ago to rise above his emotions, though he preferred to use them to his advantage in battle. Soon he could feel his very core, every one of his new structures' muscles, and finally the long forgotten transformation program. Summoning all the will power he possessed and forcing it through that long disused program, he spoke. "I...am...Transformed!"

His body shuddered and was briefly bathed in an icy blue-white light, but then his joints sparked painfully. A piercing pain emanated from his very Spark, causing him to double over. "I take it...that _wasn't_ supposed to happen."

"Are you alright?" Optimus asked concernedly.

"To be honest, I don't know. My Spark…By the Pit that hurt."

"It takes time, Dinobot. Don't force it."

"No... there is something wrong..."

"What?"

"I am uncertain," Dinobot told him, getting up.

"I'll leave you here to your thoughts. Perhaps some peace and..."

"_NO_!" Dinobot nearly screamed, all his feathers flaring out. He quickly got control of himself, manually smoothed his crest feathers down and said, "I'd... rather not be alone."

Optimus said nothing, merely nodded and followed Dinobot out.

They found the others playing cards with a deck Rattrap had managed to scrounge while roaming the empty cities. When Rattrap saw Dinobot he looked up and said, seeing a strange expression on the rather expressionless features of the raptor, asked, "So how'd it go?"

"Not well, Rodent."

"Hey, its okay, Chopperface. Took me ferevah ta learn how ta do it. You'll get it."

"I thank you for the vote of confidence, Rodent." Dinobot then turned to Nightscream. "The others I know, and have so for some time. You I do not."

"Oh, me? I'm Nightscream. Look, I'm sorry about what I said during dinner."

"It is alright. You are young and the young are often plagued by curiosity."

"Huh. When did you learn that?" Cheetor asked.

"Mainly watching you grow up," Dinobot said with a shrug.

"So wanna join us for a game or two?" Nightscream asked to break the slight tension that was starting to creep into the room.

Rattrap was fully expecting Dinobot to decline, but was startled out of his fur when Dinobot said, "I don't see why not."

As he dealt the cards out, he gave Dinobot a look that read, '_Are you alright?_'

Dinobot simply asked, "What's the game?" but his tone said, '_Not in the least._'

"Six card Fly-Boys High nothin' wild," was Rattrap's reply. "Can I deal ya in Boss Monkey?"

Optimus chuckled. "Sure."

Slowly, as several rounds went by, the other Maximals left for bed, having had a long day. Once Rattrap was sure Nightscream was out of hearing range, he turned to Dinobot. "What's wrong, Fossil Face? I ain't _never_ seen ya _dis_ social."

"I....I wanted company. I spent so long alone, Rodent, no one ever speaking to me. Oh, the drone would prattle on about what it was doing to me, but it never actually spoke _to_ me."

As Dinobot spoke Rattrap could hear the quiver in his voice, and could even see Dinobot start to shake some. "Come wit' me."

Dinobot nodded and followed his lover to a small alcove that smelled like the rat. "Dis is kinda like my place down heres. We all got one. It's da closest t'ing we got to rooms."

Dinobot moved over to Rattrap and wrapped his tail around him, pulling him closer. "No contact with anyone... forced to live so I could be Megatron's test subject. Treated like an animal... So alone... Cut open..." Dinobot's body gave a violent shudder. "Primus, Vermin, I was... afraid."

"Hey, Chopperface, yer home now. Yer wit' me again, an' ol' Mega-ego ain't gonna get his claws

back on ya if _I_ have anyt'ing ta say 'bout it," Rattrap told him, nuzzling him softly.

Dinobot pulled Rattrap tightly against him - so tightly that he could feel the Spark pulse of his bonded. As he felt this, he became keenly aware that the normally synchronized beats of their Sparks were anything but. His eyes opened wide as a revelation came to him. "I think I know why I couldn't transform..."

Rattrap looked up at him. "Eh? Why's dat?"

"Vermin, when I died, the part of your Spark that had become fused with mine left. Since I returned, that part has been missing. I hadn't noticed it due to Rampage's Spark at first, then the time away from you. My Spark is not whole, therefore I can't transform. By the Pit, Rattrap, I've been so lonely..."

Rattrap felt a splash on his head and looked up to see Dinobot crying. "Hey, Ch...Dinobot," he amended, feeling that the old nickname wasn't appropriate just now, "I'm here. Ya ain't never gonna be alone again." Rattrap felt the feathers of Dinobot's arm encase him like a loving cage. "I'm right here."

"Merge with me again, Rattrap," Dinobot said almost pleadingly. "Make my Spark whole once more. Let us be one again."

"'Course I will," Rattrap told him in earnest. "But uh, can we do it in beast mode?"

"I will be stuck in this mode for the rest of my existence if not."

Rattrap nodded. "So, how ya wanna do dis? I mean, dese bodies make it kinda hard..."

Dinobot answered by rolling over onto his back, being careful of the feathers there, and revealing his already hard member. Then he pulled his mate on top of him. "Like this."

Rattrap wiggled a bit to make himself comfortable. Then, realizing that in order to have their Sparks near one another he couldn't reach Dinobot's unit, he wrapped his tail around it with a smile as his own member rubbed against Dinobot's body. "Ya realize dat dis is gonna get a bit messy."

"I don't care. I really don't. I have missed you so, my rat. The thought of you alive, somewhere, was the one thing that kept me going in that horrid place."

"Shh. Don't talk about dat. Right now de only t'ing dat matters is us." It truly bothered Rattrap to hear his mate so frightened, and all he wanted to do right now was comfort him.

Dinobot shoved those dark thoughts to the furthest corner of his mind and ran his claws down Rattrap's back, causing him to squirm and writhe. He needed his mate, needed to feel that oneness once again. He felt Rattrap stroke his member and moaned. So long... oh so long... he could feel his Spark push against his casing, trying to reach the Spark of his mate. Nearly begging to be merged once again, to feel that strangely powerful Spark of the much smaller bot. The physical pleasure felt so good, but it was secondary to what he wanted…no, needed.

Rattrap was thrusting his own member against his lover as best he could. So long without him, long nights filled with need, of feeling his Spark pulse with desire for its counterpart. He could almost feel Dinobot's Spark pounding against his chest, begging to be released. No words were spoken between the lovers even as Dinobot's claws dug trenches into Rattrap's hide - only cries of pleasure and grunts of pleasure/pain. Rattrap looked down at his lover, who had turned his head to be able to see better, and answered the unspoken plea with a nod. He couldn't stop his thrusts, but he used Dinobot's arms to prop himself up enough to allow room at first between their Sparks… if they could reveal them in this form. He needn't have worried. His chest opened and his Spark emerged, a bright, glowing, comfortable red.

Dinobot moaned at the sight of his lover's Spark. It seemed strange that it was red, but he figured that it was the Oracle's doing. He didn't know and right now he didn't care. His own Spark seemed to leap out of its container once his chest had opened enough. He whimpered in need.

Rattrap heard the whimper and slowly lowered his Spark onto the icy blue-white Spark of his mate. Both bots cried out as their Sparks touched. Power met power, the pulses trying to force the two apart, the outer shells of the Sparks trying to keep each other away. It took force of will to merge, and the Spark had ways of protecting itself, but during a lull in both their pulses Rattrap lowered himself more. He was barely aware of his hips rubbing madly against his lover or his tail stimulating Dinobot's own member rapidly. This Spark… he had longed to feel it again for so long.

Such power, stronger then even that hated Spark of Rampage. Dinobot was lost in bliss; all that existed was his mate. As Rattrap placed his hands on his shoulders, he wrapped his arms around his rat, the feathers nearly hiding him completely. His Spark was simultaneously trying to draw in and repel Rattrap's, and the pleasure was almost painful. At the next lull Dinobot pulled Rattrap down more, merging their Sparks even further. His very being seemed to shudder as Rattrap's Spark pulsed powerfully, sending waves of pure ecstasy through his body.

Rattrap moaned, trembling with pleasure, as Dinobot's Spark pulsed in response to his own. Everything seemed to vanish. There were no troubles, no cares…only this Spark, only this moment, only this mech. Nothing else mattered. Another lull, and Rattrap grabbed onto Dinobot's body and pulled himself down further. Merging was almost like a game of chess, each player moving in turn at strategic moments. Rattrap looked down into his lover's eye and could see that Dinobot was in the same state of undeniable bliss. He could feel their Sparks start to synchronize. Soon they would be one once more.

Dinobot's Spark started to pulse madly as they synchronized. This was everything. Some had said that the bliss felt at merging was like the very Matrix itself. Dinobot could now say for a fact that they were wrong. This feeling was a palatable, tangible thing and out striped the pleasure of the Matrix by leaps and bounds. He felt the power of his lover's Spark force his own into synchronization. Joy spread through his body like a wildfire and he laughed. This smaller Maximal that he could punt through the nearest wall, had the stronger Spark, and yet it seemed fitting - especially now, when he needed it the most. Rattrap's Spark began to over ride his. He pulled Rattrap towards him again, feeling the very outer edge of their Spark cores begin to brush against each other.

A squeak of pleasure erupted from Rattrap as Dinobot pulled him down forcefully. Oh, so good. He felt the start of the true merging as core brushed core. He could almost feel Dinobot's consciousness brush his own, so close to that sense of oneness that they both craved so desperately. He could feel energy begin to build up, the energy that would solidify their bond once their Sparks were merged fully. He was now past all articulation, all hearing, all knowing. All that mattered was the bond, so easily formed once they were past the outer shell, yet so slowly done. He looked at Dinobot once again and love permeated their joining, sending them both to new heights.

Dinobot looked up at Rattrap and felt the love they shared fill his very being. He locked his optics on Rattrap's, a connection that wouldn't be released until the merging was finished. He gripped Rattrap as Rattrap gripped him and slowly they both pulled, merging their Sparks even closer, until all that was left was just one final tug that would turn two Sparks into one.

Energy crackled over them like a storm and they both rode this high. It was part of their game. Always holding back at the final moment, letting the energy build to nearly intolerable levels before crashing themselves together for the final bonding. Here at the brink of eternity, their minds seemed as one. Each could feel the other's love. Each knew the hardships the other had suffered. Each knew that the other loved him more then life itself. Neither knew where one ended and the other began.

It was time. The universe seemed to stop moving as they could take the power no longer and pulled once more, crashing the very heart of their Sparks together. The silence was broken, and they both cried out in one voice as their Sparks emitted a blinding glow, becoming one. They held each other there as long as they could, until finally it was too much and they were forced to retract. But as they did so they could feel a part of the other within each of their Sparks. Their bond was once again complete. Neither would ever be alone again - always taking a part of their bonded, their Spark mate with them. Nothing would tear them apart this time. This they promised each other as their Sparks separated.

As they calmed down, they were barely aware that they had at some point achieved release as well, for they were both sated and covered in each other's essence. The merging was all that had mattered. For long moments they held one another, enjoying the feeling of their Sparks beating as one. Dinobot stroked Rattrap's back. The feeling of his mate with him once more filled him with more joy then he could ever express, and tears of gratitude began to fall.

"Hey, Chopperface, you okay?" Rattrap asked, concerned.

Dinobot blinked hard a few times. "Yes, Vermin, I'm fine. I have missed you. It feels divine to be one with you once more."

"Nah, Chopperface, you ain't fine - but you will be. Once we've gotten rid a' Megs, everyt'in'll be all right," Rattrap told him, getting a bit more comfortable.

After a bit Dinobot asked, "Is there anything that resembles a bathing unit around here?"

"Yeah, we tapped a water main. It's cold but it'll get ya clean."

"Where is it?"

"Go outta da main cave, hang a left, an' it's da first openin' on da right. Look up." Rattrap then let out a squeak of surprise as Dinobot picked him up by the scruff of his neck with his teeth and carried him out. "Hey! What gives?" Dinobot didn't answer, but carried Rattrap to the makeshift shower and turned it on. He then plunked Rattrap down under it and began to clean them both off. "Whoa, hey, leave some a' da fur on dere, Scale Belly," Rattrap said when Dinobot began to scrub him rather hard.

"We are covered in each other's essence, Vermin. If we don't remove it now it'll be that much harder to remove later..." He sounded odd as he said this.

"Okay, okay. Relax though. Yer gonna end up scrubbin' my fur off here. Take it easy..."

"Filth... I shall not be covered in filth..." Dinobot muttered as he began to wash himself off.

"Hey, Chopperface, you okay?" Rattrap put a paw on Dinobot's flank and looked up at him.

"Hm?" Dinobot looked startled. "Yes, I'm fine. I just wish to be clean. I will not sit in filth."

The last part was said as though to himself, but Rattrap heard. "Hey, it's okay. Yer alright."

It took an hour of showering before Dinobot felt that he and Rattrap were sufficiently clean. He turned off the water and gave himself a good shake, sending water droplets everywhere. Then he began to preen his feathers meticulously until they were dry and not sticking together. "Now we can leave," he said, looking at Rattrap.

The pair of them walked back to where the others were just getting up and getting food. Dinobot went and got something for himself and Rattrap and they settled down to eat.

"Did you two get _any_ sleep last night?" Blackarachnia asked with mirth in her voice.

Rattrap put on his best shit-eating-grin and said, "Nope. But it was wort' it."

After they ate, Optimus led Dinobot to the orchard. "This, Dinobot, is the future of Cybertron. Here we plant the seeds of plants and nurture them with the organic core of Cybertron," he said, pointing to the pipes above them. "Why don't you have a look around. I've got to work on the others' training."

Dinobot nodded and Optimus left. While he wasn't exactly pleased to be left along, the feel of Rattrap's Spark within his own made it much easier.

As he walked around, Dinobot saw that there were dead leaves and branches littering the floor. It felt wrong to him, so he quickly began to clean the dead wood up, piling it neatly in one corner. He was meticulous in his efforts, not wanting any debris littering the floor. Once he finished that, he began to clean the pipes, making them shine. The very idea of corrosion seemed to disgust him to no end as he scrubbed the irrigation system clean. Finally after several hours he'd managed to make every pipe shine, and he went for a wash himself.

Rattrap and the others entered the orchard to see that it was spic-and-span. Even the pipes were gleaming. "Whoa, what happened here?" Nightscream asked, surprised.

"Donno, kiddo," Rattrap answered.

From behind them Dinobot answered, having just come back from his shower. "The place was _filthy_!"

"Oh, great, he's a neat freak," Nightscream lamented with a roll of his eyes.

"Is that a problem, flying mouse?" Dinobot growled, his crest feathers flaring.

"Whoa! Chopperface, mellow! Take it easy. He's my friend."

This brought Dinobot up short. "Very well," he said. "However, Vermin, you reek. You all do! Do any of you even bother to use that shower you set up?" Dinobot's tone was nearly frantic and he backed away from them slightly.

"Hey, Dinobot, we just got done with focus combat training," Cheetor told him. "So yeah, we're a bit dirty."

"Although he does have a point," Blackarachnia said. "We do smell. We should get cleaned up."

"Good idea," Optimus responded, and he led the others away.

"I'll catch up!" Rattrap called after them. He turned to Dinobot.

"Hey, Scale Belly. What gives here? You were nevah _dis_ obsessed wit' bein' clean before."

Dinobot's optics narrowed for a moment, then he sighed. "You smelled what I was forced to sit in day after day...they never cleaned it up. I _won't_ tolerate filth any more!"

Rattrap was startled by this outburst, but he nodded. "I gotcha. I'll go grab a shower now," he said, slightly hurt.

Dinobot walked over and licked the top of Rattrap's head lovingly. "I'll be in our nook." He let out a tremendous yawn.

Rattrap yawned as well. "Yeah, it's almost down time anyway, and we didn't get any sleep. After I get back we'll grab some grub, den we'll hit da sack. How's dat sound?"

"Very well, Vermin."

"Good." Rattrap headed to the shower.

When he got there, Nightscream asked, "So what are you doing with a neat freak anyway? Last I checked, you liked garbage."

"Bats, drop it, 'kay? Chopperface has been t'rough some really bad shit. An' fer da record, he wasn't always dis way."

"Then what..."

"Nightscream, leave it alone," Cheetor said as he shook off the water from his fur. "Besides if it means that Rat-Face here will wind up getting more baths, hell, I say more power to it. He could use some cleanliness."

"Oh, yer a laugh riot, Spots, ya know dat? You should take yer show on da road."

"Males..." Blackarachnia muttered as she cleaned herself up.

"Hey Boss Monkey, Chopperface an' I are gonna grab a bite ta eat an' turn in early. Heheh, we didn't get any sleep last night."

Optimus shook his head with a chuckle. "Alright. Goodnight," he said as Rattrap finished his shower and left.

He made his way to his nook, now his and Dinobot's. He stopped along the way and got food from the replicator and, balancing it on his back carefully, he entered. "Yo! Room service!" he called to the ball of scales and feathers. Dinobot uncurled himself and took the plate of food from his mate. With a murmur of thanks, he began to devour his meal.

Once they'd both finished, and Dinobot was now gnawing a the bone, Rattrap curled up beside him. "Yer warm..." he said sleepily.

Dinobot spat the bone into the corner of the nook and replied, "As are you." He rolled onto his side, lifted his arm and used his tail to pull Rattrap as close as possible, then lowered his arm and wrapped the other around Rattrap, once again encasing the rat in a cage of feathers. He let out a raptor hum of contentment and said softly, "Good night, Rodent."

"Night, Chopperface," Rattrap yawned out. Very soon both were snoring softly. It was comfortable to be near his raptor again, and Rattrap slept better then he had since Dinobot had died.

Several hours later, Rattrap was awoken by a warm wetness on his flank. He looked around for a moment only to see that it was coming from Dinobot. 'Okay, dis is new,' he thought to himself. He gave Dinobot a hard shake. "Uhhh, Chopperface, wake up."

"What is it, Vermin?" Dinobot asked, keeping his eyes closed.

"Yer ventin' all ovah me heres."

Dinobot's eyes flashed open and he let go of Rattrap. "By the Pit, no," he whispered in humiliation as his body continued to void itself, while Rattrap moved out of the way.

"Chopperface..."

"Shut up!" Dinobot roared. "Get away..."

"No," Rattrap told him. "It's alright. I'll clean this up…eh, once yer done... den grab a shower."

Dinobot sighed in relief as he finished. "I…I'll clean this up. You're covered in my processed energon. Primus, I can't believe I did that." Embarrassment dripped from his voice.

"Shh, don't worry 'bout it. I won't say a word ta no one 'bout it. You've been t'rough some shit... we'll get t'rough dis," Rattrap said softly, trying to comfort Dinobot. He saw that the raptor was still dripping half-processed energon. "Ya know what? We bot' need a shower, so why don't we go do dat and uh den clean dis up?"

"Good idea," Dinobot replied.

The pair of them walked out silently. "Uh, fer future reference, da bat'room is dere." Rattrap pointed out a room with a door just out side of the cave. Dinobot nodded.

Once they had finished cleaning up both themselves and their nook, Dinobot curled up on one side of the nook away from Rattrap. "What's wrong?" the rat asked.

"I do not wish to soil you again..."

Rattrap walked over to Dinobot and curled up next to him. "Eh, we'll just take a shower again." Dinobot then pulled Rattrap close to him and encased him in feathers and they both fell asleep.

Rattrap awoke the next morning when Dinobot got up. "Good morning, Cheese-eater."

"Morning, Dinobutt. How are feeling?"

"Like I need a shower."

After the shower, they joined the others for breakfast.

"Good morning, you two," Optimus said as they began to eat.

"So Dinobot," Nightscream started as he ate, "are you really a Predacon?"

Dinobot looked over at the bat. "Is that a problem?" he sneered, raising his upper lip, exposing his sharp teeth.

"No," Nightscream responded quickly.

"Bats, lay off, will ya? So he's a Pred. Deal," Rattrap told him.

"Hey, I was just curious. It's been a while since I saw one. They were some of the first to be taken. They made a good fight of it, but against all the drones they never stood a chance," Nightscream explained.

Dinobot stopped mid-bite. "That doesn't surprise me. Predacons are built for war, and when war came to Cybertron they would relish the fight," he said, going back to his meal.

After the meal, Optimus said, "Blackarachnia, you go show Dinobot how to work the irrigation system of the orchard. Rattrap, you need to work on your concentration skills."

"Yeah yeah, I'm comin'," Rattrap said.

Dinobot and Blackarachnia headed to the orchard. She explained how it worked, and they began to work on watering and cultivating the orchard in silence. After a time Blackarachnia said, "So how long are we going to not talk?"

"Spider, the last time I remember actually seeing you, you aided in my death," Dinobot replied in a mater-of-fact tone.

"Okay, fair enough. Look, I'm sorry for what I did while working for Megatron. But for the record, there was a reason. Tarantulas implanted something in my core processor. It kept me from being a Maximal, even after I joined up with them," she explained.

"Why did you go to the Maximals?" Dinobot asked as he moved the irrigation drip over the next set of plants.

"Silverbolt."

Dinobot blinked hard at her and his crest feathers flared out. "Silverbolt? He was a good student. Let me guess, his chivalry caught your eye."

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing. I was making an observation."

"Wait, student?"

"For a brief time I trained him, mostly in the ways of honor and honorable combat. He had the desire and the will but not the knowledge, so I gave to him what I could before I died," Dinobot said, picking up a scrub brush.

"Okay," she said, looking at him. "Who are you and what did you do with Dinobot?"

Dinobot was meticulously cleaning the drip head. "What do you mean?"

"You've been cleaning that head for twenty cycles now. It's as clean as it's going to get. The Organic core of Cybertron isn't exactly a liquid. More like goop of some kind."

"The cleaner it is, the more efficient it is," Dinobot countered.

"Well, if you're going to do that to all of them, you'll be here forever."

Meanwhile, while Optimus was working with Cheetor, Rattrap and Nightscream were talking. "So how did you end up with Dinobot?" the kid was asking. "No offense, but you don't don't seem the type to go for guys. You're more a get-a-girl kinda guy."

"Hey, I used ta be, kiddo. I could get any femme I wanted in my bert', but den I met Chopperface. We didn't get along at first. Heh, we was at each ot'ers fuel lines ta tell da truth, but well, some t'ings happened and we ended up togethah. I haven't wanted anyone else since. Don't need no one else."

"He doesn't seem to like me very much. Every time I try to talk to him, he starts insulting me."

"Eh?" Rattrap asked, confused. Then it hit him. "Oh, ya mean da name callin'. Dat's normal. If he calls ya by yer name ya know somethin' ain't right. De only exception is da Boss Monkey. Look, Bats, I know ya had it rough, but Chopperface's had it just as bad if not worse. Just get ta know him a bit. Trust me, it'll take time, but he ain't so bad once ya get used ta him."

Sometime later the rest of the Maximals joined Dinobot and Blackarachnia in the orchard chamber. Dinobot was trying to clean out one of the stopped-up pipes. "How long has he been at this?" Cheetor asked the spider.

"He found one clogged sprinkler." She shook her head. "Been at it ever since."

"Well, there's no reason to let him do this alone, Nightscream, you help him with that clogged drain. Cheetor, you and Rattrap start gathering up the dead wood. Blackarachnia, build a web around the wood and I'll carry it to be shredded."

The others nodded and got to work. Nightscream flew up to the junction that Dinobot was trying to unclog. "Try to add some pressure, flying mouse."

"The name is Nightscream," the young bot said, but he did as asked. Suddenly there was a popping sound and a rush of organic fluid sprayed Dinobot. Nightscream quickly turned off the pressure. Dinobot stood there coughing and sputtering. He shook off the fluid, then began to wipe it off and preen his feathers almost obsessively. "Hey, Dinobot, chill out. The stuff won't hurt ya," Nightscream chuckled.

Then he heard Dinobot mutter, "Filth, grime, I must rid myself of this..." and flew down to him.

"Are you okay? This stuff isn't dirty..."

"I'm going to take a shower," Dinobot announced, then headed off.

After he left, Nightscream asked, "What's his _deal_? The organic core isn't going to hurt him or anything."

"It's like I told ya, kiddo," Rattrap explained. "He can't stand bein' dirty, or anythin' like it. Lay _off_!"

"But it doesn't make sense."

Rattrap finally snapped. True, the kid had become his friend, but right now he was getting on his nerves. He knew that Nightscream might just go and try to get the information he wanted from Dinobot, and the kid didn't realize just how dangerous Dinobot could be when something was upsetting or embarrassing to him. "Okay, kid, ya wanna know, alright. Ya remember that really bad smell in da room where I first found Ol' Scale Belly and I told ya what is was?"

"Yeah, but..."

"He's been sittin' in dat filth fer a long time an' now dat he don't have ta, he don't wanna be dirty at all! He hates da very idea of bein' filthy, if ya hadn't noticed, so fer da last time buddy, fer yer own good, _leave it alone_!"

Nightscream gulped. It was sick making to think of someone forced to sit in their own filth. "Okay. I'll drop it."

"Good. Now lets get back ta work."

Dinobot returned shortly after, and began to help out. Nightscream came over to him. "Hey, Dinobot, I'm sorry. Ya know, for making such a big deal over this."

Dinobot looked over at Rattrap, who shrugged with a guilty look on his face. He sighed. "You were unaware. However, if I may enlighten you to a fact: do not push me. Ever. I do not take kindly to such things... and what I don't take kindly to normally ends up in need of repairs. Understand?"

"Yeah, I get it."

Several hours later, Optimus called a halt to the work. "Okay people, that's enough for today. Let's get cleaned up, get something to eat and turn in."

They all nodded and headed for the shower. Dinobot didn't take that long under the water, but spent much time on cleaning his feathers. Fortunately no one commented on it.

Later, after eating, he and Rattrap were getting ready to hit the hay. "You told the bat about the conditions I was kept in," said Dinobot. It was a statement, not a question.

"Chopperface, he was startin' ta get really annoying about it. He'd probably've gone and tried ta talk ta ya about it. Like I said, da kid is my pal. I didn't want ta see ya shred him."

Dinobot sighed. "I understand, Rodent." He pulled Rattrap closer and the pair of them fell asleep.

The next morning, they were awakened by Nightscream. "Hey guys, hate to wake you, but Webs scoped out some major activity in the factories."

Dinobot and Rattrap met with the others in the main chamber of the Fossil Cave. "Alright, Maximals," Optimus started. "Megatron is up to something, and I want to know what and why."

"I can answer that. He knows that I'm gone and he wants me back. In this he hasn't changed at all," Dinobot answered. "Most likely he is going to flood the planet with his drones to find me."

"Why do you think he's after you?" Nightscream asked, perplexed.

"Because he's been obsessed with Dinobot since the Beast Wars. He's cloned him a fair few times," Blackarachnia explained.

"But why?" Nightscream asked, even more confused then ever.

"No time for answers now, you flying mouse," Dinobot growled.

"He's right," Optimus said sharply. "Right now we need to shut down that factory and fast. Maximals, lets move."

As they walked, Rattrap whispered to Dinobot, "Ya know, once you woulda growled at bein' called a 'Maximal'."

"Vermin, though I was born a Predacon, I am now Maximal. This is something I have come to accept in life."

"Huh, learn somethin' new every day. C'mon, lets go kick some Vehicon exhaust pipes."

Dinobot shook his head and laughed. "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Just before they got to the surface, Optimus said, "Alright. Rattrap, you're going to get the main door open so we can get in. Nightscream, stay with him, he'll need back-"

"No," Dinobot told him. "I shall stay with my Vermin. The flying rodent will most likely be needed elsewhere."

"Hey, what's with the insults?"

"Don't worry 'bout it, Bats. Like I told ya, he does dat. But we got bigger tings ta worry about. And he does got a point, Big Banana, yer gonna need Bats ta help ya wit' da fliers." Rattrap looked at Dinobot, who nodded. The sickle-shaped claws on his feet extended to their fullest length, black and deadly sharp, and he flexed the sharp claws on his hands. "Chopperface can handle it."

"Alright, Dinobot, you watch Rattrap's back. Nightscream, you're with me. Cheetor, you and Blackarachnia are going to make a path to get Rattrap to the main console so he can shut it down. Rattrap, if you can, blow the factory. Does everyone understand what their jobs are? Good. Let's move out!"

With that, Optimus led his team up to the surface of Cybertron. Shortly they arrived at the factory. "Okay, you've gotten us in, Rattrap. Now go back to beast mode. It'll be harder for them to find you."

"Hey, da less dey see me, da bettah. Okay here goes. I am transformed." He took a moment to steady himself on his wheels, then rolled over to the access port and shoved his tail in. Soon after, the door opened and once the others were in, he transformed back to beast mode.

"Alright, lets stir up this hornets nest!" Nightscream said. Then the room rang with each one save Rattrap and Dinobot saying, "I am transformed!"

Mere moments later, the factory was filled with drones. Far more then they had anticipated. "Let's do this!" Cheetor shouted as the team began to fight off the Vehicons.

"Optimus! There's too many of them!" he called out as he bounced off of several tank drones like a pinball.

It was Dinobot who answered, however, as he sliced through a biker drone with his claws. "No, we can't give up now. It's far too early in the fight!"

"Dinobot's right," Optimus called out over the din. "If we don't stop them now, Megatron will have enough drones to comb the planet!" He dodged as Nightscream drained the energy of a jet drone, causing it to fall.

An explosion hit between Dinobot and Rattrap, flinging the two apart. Dinobot watched Rattrap fall into the midst of several tank drones. He ran at the cluster of drones, cutting down several biker drones in his wake. His claws made short work of the tanks, but he was breathing hard. He had already tried twice to transform, but for some reason it still refused to work.

As he helped his bonded to his paws, he felt something surge in his Spark. "Vermin! Back to back!" Rattrap nodded and turned until his body touched Dinobot's.

"Okay, now what?!" Rattrap exclaimed.

"Only at your side do I feel as though I can transform!"

"I get ya!" Rattrap's voice was enthusiastic. "Togethah!"

Dinobot nodded and they both cried out, "I am transformed!"

Suddenly their Sparks began to glow, encasing them as the transformation began. This time, however, was different. The lights began to intertwine, the bright red of Rattrap's Spark and the icy blue-white of Dinobot's own. They didn't turn into one color, but seemed to overlap and yet stay separate. Brilliant light began to weave around the pair. They could both feel the other's Spark, their feelings, their thoughts all becoming one again. They cried out in one voice, Dinobot's taking on an almost Rattrap-esque tone while Rattrap's took on a gruff growl similar to Dinobot's: "WE ARE TRANSFORMED!"

The icy blue-white of Dinobot's Spark engulfed Rattrap, while the bright red of Rattrap's Spark encased Dinobot, transforming them both. Rattrap's body transformed like always, but with a new difference: His wheels opened up at the sides and legs formed under them, so that his wheels were now locked at his thighs.

Meanwhile, Dinobot was undergoing his own transformation. His hips shifted down and his legs lengthened, leaving the muscular raptor claws as his feet. The head of his beast mode split along the hinges of his jaw and flattened on his shoulders, teeth up, revealing a well sculpted chest.. The protrusions on his arms retracted and the feathers emerged along his arms, stiff and ridged like blades, curving towards his shoulders. His skin was was the same bright blue it had always been, but around his neck were two black stripes, pointing toward his throat. His well-muscled arms had the same pattern as his old form, but the coloring matched his new form. His head emerged from between the halves of his beast mode head, wearing a helm similar to his old one, with two feathers instead of the horn-like protrusions and a crest of feathers like a roman helm running from his forehead to the back of his head. His right eye was a deep red, while the left one was a blank, blind white. A jagged scar ran down that side of his face and over his blind optic, the optic where the laser monocle had once been. In fact, his entire body was covered in various scars, including one long diagonal one across his now technorganic torso. His teeth were still the sharp pointed things they had once been. His clawed hands, so like the old ones from his first body, held his beast mode's tail, which split open - the feathers on either side curved towards the tips - and within this rotating shield was his sword, Spark Shearer.

He took the sword out and roared. The sword, which no one but Dinobot could bring to life, was tuned to his energy. Spark Shearer sputtered, then roared to life in answer, as though grateful to be back with her wielder.

Rattrap, meanwhile, reached down automatically for his pistol and was rather surprised to to feel the wheel on his leg open in the middle and his gun enter his hand. "Alright, Chopperface! Let's show dese drones who's boss!" he yelled loudly. "But don't kill da generals. I'll explain later, it's important."

Dinobot nodded and launched himself into the mass of bots, his shield blocking any and all blasts that came his way. "You know, Vermin," he called over the din, "this is what I call a battle! Odds against us, plenty to kill! This is the life!" He shoved his sword into the nearest bot, sending parts and vital fluids everywhere.

"Only you would say such a t'ing, Chopperface!" Rattrap responded, shooting down several drones in a single volley. It felt good to be able to actually do something other then be protected. He spun the blaster on his finger and shot behind him, taking out a biker drone.

"Just get to the computer and blow this place to the Pit!" Dinobot hollered back, as he came down sword-first on a tank drone's head, skewering it to the hilt. With a tremendous battle yell, he heaved the sword out of the bot. The action forced his head back and he saw Optimus above him, surrounded by jet drones. He took several steps back and then took a running leap at the bot he had just killed. Using it as a spring board, he launched himself into the air, slicing one drone with his sword and two more with each of his legs before curling into a ball to avoid the return fire and falling back to earth. He landed on his feet, using his rotating shield to block a shot from a tank drone that had transformed. He shoved his sword through its head, spun and slammed his fist into the biker drone that had transformed behind him. He heaved his sword out and looked around for another target.

"Hey, Cheetor, do those two _ever _stop arguing? I mean, shouldn't they be paying attention to the battle?" Nightscream called down.

"If they weren't arguing with each other, I'd be worried. Look out behind you!" Cheetor yelled back, using his swords to block the blasts being fired all around him.

Just as Nightscream went to deal with his attacker, the jet drone exploded and he looked down to see Rattrap with his gun smoking. "Hey, thanks Rattrap!"

"Hey, not a prob Bats!" Rattrap called back with a thumbs up before turning back to the fight. He soon found himself back to back with Dinobot once more. "Hey Chopperface, why don't we show dese drones what a little team work can do?"

Dinobot laughed, giddy with battle and being at his mate's side again. "That sounds like a good idea," he said, slicing the nearest drone with the feathers on his arm by accident.

"Well, ya learn somethin' new every day," Rattrap laughed.

"Indeed. Follow me and try to keep up!" Dinobot charged into the heart of the battle, Rattrap right behind him.

"Chopperface," Rattrap called out, holding out his hand. "Let's show da fly-boys up dere that ya don't need wings or packs ta fly!"

Dinobot took Rattrap's hand and flung him up and over several drones. Rattrap tilted his body so he was upside-down and fired on the collection of transformed tanks and biker drones, causing them to explode, sending shrapnel into several of the other drones and off-lining them as well. He landed and fanned the hammer of his pistol, blowing bikers apart as Dinobot came up behind him. Dinobot clapped him on the back. "Nicely done. I'll make a warrior out of you yet, Vermin."

Suddenly Cheetor was at their side. "Hey, figured you two could use a hand," he told them, cutting down a biker drone with his swords.

"Well, at least you have finally learned to wield a proper weapon," Dinobot said back with a smirk.

"Hey, you use what you're given," Cheetor shot back.

Dinobot chuckled and kept running and killing as they made their way to the console. Upon reaching it, Rattrap plugged his tail into the port and began to work his magic on the computer.

"Cheetor, on your left!" Dinobot cried as they defended Rattrap. Cheetor lunged forward, stabbing a biker drone through the body then wrenching the sword up, cutting the drone almost in half. "You finally seem to have grown up!" Dinobot called out to him.

"Hey, I'm Big Bot's Second In Command now."

"Took you long enough to take on some responsibility," Dinobot told him.

"Hey," Cheetor laughed. "I don't know where this new you came from, but I like it!"

"Look at what being antisocial got me last time - a funeral and only one friend. I figured it was time for a bit of a change." Dinobot's audios were nearly shattered when he heard Nightscream let loose with his sonic shriek. He looked up at him with his one good eye and said sharply, "Will you direct that somewhere else, you flying pestilence? And here I thought that you couldn't find anything more vexing then a land-based flea-infested rat. I seem to have been mistaken. The flying ones are much worse!"

Rattrap worked as fast as he could. Finally he was able to set the factory to self-destruct. "Alright everyone, outta da pool!" he cried out.

The Maximals, led by Dinobot cutting a path of destruction for his team mates, left the factory just in time as it blew. "Good work, Rattrap!" Nightscream said to him and gave him a high-five.

"Indeed," Dinobot told him. He promptly snagged his mate and kissed him hard.

Rattrap returned the kiss, his tongue being cut by sharp teeth, and loving every second. After they broke apart, they transformed back to beast mode. "Hey, Chopperface, are you blind in dat eye in robot mode?"

"Yes, Vermin, but it does not hinder me. Nor will it ever," Dinobot answered.

"Why didn't the Oracle fix that, Optimus?" Nightscream asked.

"Hurmf, you sound like Cheetor when the Beast Wars first started," Dinobot stated under his breath.

"I'm not sure, Nightscream," Optimus replied. "It really doesn't make sense."

"The Oracle can only work with what you have to offer, I suppose. When it gave me these optics, my robot mode had only one optic to work with."

"What about does scars, Chopperface?" Rattrap asked as they headed back down to their home.

"There was a lot of damage due to Megatron's experiments. There are some things that can't be replaced."

"So why did Megatron remove your eye in the first place?" Nightscream asked.

Dinobot chuckled. "It was a rather powerful optic blaster. He didn't want me using it against him or his drones, so he removed it and just left the hole there."

Rattrap seethed. "How dare he leave ya mutilated like dat!" he exclaimed in anger.

"Calm yourself, Rodent," Dinobot said sharply. "It does not matter now. I shall keep it as a reminder."

"A reminder? A reminder of what?" Optimus asked softly.

Dinobot grinned a raptor's grin of hate. "Of the revenge I plan to extract from his sorry _HIDE_!" He growled in anger, his eyes seeming to glow despite their new technorganic state. Oh yes, he would have his revenge on Megatron if it was the last thing he did.

THE END?


End file.
